Some interesting law and religion news stories from around the web this week:

• ISIS fighters destroyed two ancient Muslim shrines in Palmyra, Syria, executed scores of captive fighters and residents, and planted bombs and mines around the city.
• Pope Francis tells crowds that there are extreme situations in which it is “morally necessary” for couples to separate, to protect children and the weaker spouse.
•  The Columbus, Ohio Police Division has decided to continue its ban on head scarves for officers.
•  A second-grader and his mother are suing a Fort Wayne, Indiana Community Schools teacher for violating his constitutional rights in a confrontation over religion in which he was separated from the class for saying he does not believe in God.
• A New Jersey jury found a gay-to-straight conversion therapy organization,  JONAH, or Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, guilty of consumer fraud.
•  A New York City Hindu group made a new push for the city’s Department of Education to add the holy day of Diwali to the school holiday calendar. This comes after the city added two Muslim holidays and the Lunar New Year to the list of holidays.
• A prominent Pakistani Islamic cleric launched a “counter-terrorism” curriculum in London to rebut the message of militant groups such as ISIS.
• The Springfield, Missouri City Council tabled a discussion on a proposal to post “In God We Trust” inside City Hall and instead sent the issue to a committee.
• A group of Satanic worshippers is suing Missouri’s governor and attorney general alleging that the state’s abortion restrictions and informed consent laws violate its religious beliefs and endorse the belief of other religions that life begins at conception.